gopher321:What a sad fall from the show's heyday in the '70s/early '80s. Money talks I guess.

They has some good shows during the Iraq war. I recall one about how the military was proudly talking about how they were training of the Iraqi army and showing how it was less effective than pissing money away.

Wait, I don't get it... Are they one sided because they protected the NSA, thereby Obama, or are they one sided because they used a fake witness for their Benghazi story, which went along with the Right's attack on Obama?

So they can't be trusted. The thing everyone seems to be glossing over is that they can't be trusted by either side. Instead, everyone cherry picks their favorite example, and gives their second favorite an also-ran mention, and that's about it.

Oh come on. It was basically "So, NSA, do you spy on ordinary Americans." "No, of course not." "Well, good enough for me."

His point stands.

You desperately want some validation that your fantasy beliefs that Americans are being spied on by their shadow government are true. You didn't get it. Therefore, shoot the messenger.

Very standard cognitive dissonance.

I know it's hard to believe, in the face of exactly zero evidence to the contrary, that the government isn't tracking your every move and communication, but please, just try to be sane for a day or so. You might appreciate life more.

justtray:Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: edmo: I'm so sorry the interview wasn't about the thing you wanted it to be Mr. Author.

Oh come on. It was basically "So, NSA, do you spy on ordinary Americans." "No, of course not." "Well, good enough for me."

His point stands.

You desperately want some validation that your fantasy beliefs that Americans are being spied on by their shadow government are true. You didn't get it. Therefore, shoot the messenger.

Very standard cognitive dissonance.

I know it's hard to believe, in the face of exactly zero evidence to the contrary, that the government isn't tracking your every move and communication, but please, just try to be sane for a day or so. You might appreciate life more.

justtray:Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: edmo: I'm so sorry the interview wasn't about the thing you wanted it to be Mr. Author.

Oh come on. It was basically "So, NSA, do you spy on ordinary Americans." "No, of course not." "Well, good enough for me."

His point stands.

You desperately want some validation that your fantasy beliefs that Americans are being spied on by their shadow government are true. You didn't get it. Therefore, shoot the messenger.

Very standard cognitive dissonance.

I know it's hard to believe, in the face of exactly zero evidence to the contrary, that the government isn't tracking your every move and communication, but please, just try to be sane for a day or so. You might appreciate life more.

It's funny that for every time the NSA has pretended they have lines they don't cross, it turns out they've been crossing it for years.

justtray:I know it's hard to believe, in the face of exactly zero evidence to the contrary, that the government isn't tracking your every move and communication, but please, just try to be sane for a day or so. You might appreciate life more.

Of course they aren't targeting me. But I think if you look at all the cases of people being added to the No-Fly List and the controversy surrounding that, if you look at the cases of the FBI attempting to "infiltrate" mosques (the Irvine Mosque in OC is a particularly good example), if you look at the NYPD's surveillance of Muslims, it's pretty clear that "ordinary American" doesn't include Muslims. And we allow them to go after Muslims, even in the complete absence of evidence they are doing anything wrong, because they're a politically safe target to go after.

And so if you asked me "do you think the NSA is tracking Muslims for no other reason than they are exercising their constitutionally-protected rights to free exercise of religion and freedom of speech and freedom of assembly?" I would respond that you'd have to be stupid to think they aren't. The same probably goes for anti-war activists, for political dissidents, for people the government doesn't like. And that's the real danger - that the government has an increased power to go after the people it doesn't like. They can find out if they are smoking pot and then arrange for local law enforcement to bust them. They can leak their porn browsing habits to discredit the Imam that happens to like interracial gang bang videos. They can make people a little more wary, a little less willing to speak out.